Holistic Healing for Addiction

Affirmations

Daily affirmations are mini self-dedications, or prayers many people use to help themselves stay focused on achieving both short and long term goals. 12 step programs are famed for their many affirmations throughout treatment, but many spiritual practices use affirmations to help practitioners get through their days. In terms of boosting your self-esteem, you can remind yourself throughout the day that yes, you are amazing!

Taking daily affirmations one step further, you can use mirror-talk to boost your self-esteem, by speaking to yourself in the mirror, and reminding yourself that you are a beautiful spirit inside and out. If it is hard for you to look at yourself in a mirror at all (I am constantly ducking from reflective surfaces!) mirror talk is a great way that will help you accept yourself for who you are.

Even if the person you are right now is not where you ultimately wish tobe, it is important to love yourself throughout your entire journey.

Just because you want to shed a few pounds, do something drastic with your hair, or clear your acne up, does not mean you are any less worthy of embracing who you are right this every minute! In order to enact the change you wish to see, embracing yourself now is critical to help motivate you to make those changes. Think about it this way: if you do not care about yourself, or what happens to you, do you really think you are going to have the drive to make the changes you want to create for yourself?

Affirming your self-worth is absolutely essential to progress in youremotional, spiritual, and sometimes physical, development.

So, does mirror talk make you a crazed, self-absorbed, narcissist? No.

Mirror talk can help you embrace a healthy perception of yourself when you are prone to loathing every waking aspect of your entire being. And no, you do not have to wallow in self-odium every day to benefit from mirror talk and daily affirmations. Reminding yourself of your worth is not limited to those with self-esteem issues.

Even if you are not battling a substance use disorder, you may be at risk for developing self-harming behavior if you have low self-esteem. In fact, many instances of substance use disorders stem from acute self-esteem problems (specifically, a lack thereof). Outside of therapy, there are small things you can do every day to reduce your anxiety and accept yourself for the wonderful, loving person you are- but may have difficulty showing to the rest of the world.

Low self-esteem may manifest in over-compensating for qualities one believes they lack- sometimes making them difficult to be around. You can spot someone with low self-esteem a mile away if they seem to be unable to accept a compliment. Loving yourself can sometimes be one of the hardest things we have to do, but it is essential that we finally figure out how to tear down the barriers we erect around ourselves.

Bring on the mood boosters! Here is a collection of daily affirmations you can say to yourself throughout the day. You do not need to say them in any particular order, nor one physical space. Feel free to recite the following (or variations of) at home, out and about, in the office- and anywhere else your confidence needs a boost. Try your hand at writing some of your own too.

I create safe sacred space wherever I roam.
Where I am, I am home.

I am as beautiful as the people around me.
I am strong, independent, and capable of making the changes I want to see.

I am worthy of my love and self-respect.
I will remember to love myself.

I will embrace those around me and accept their love.